3.26: N95 Respirator Mask Fit Requirements for Medical Students

All medical students participating in clinical activities are required to be fit for a N95 Respirator on an annual basis. N95 filtering face-piece respirators are air-purifying respirators certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that protect against airborne contaminants (i.e., dusts, fumes, microbial agents such as tuberculosis bacteria & flu virus). As a medical student participating in clinical activities, you may be required to wear N95 for tasks such as entering isolation rooms and other activities involving close contact with potentially infected persons.

The Stanford University Department of Environmental Health & Safety oversees the mask fit process and per Cal/OSHA guidelines, medical students will be approved after successfully completing the following:

Medical Evaluation/Clearance: to determine if users are physically fit to wear a respirator.

Training: to ensure users are familiar with N95 Respirators, their proper use and protective limitations. Training consists of reviewing the guidelines and taking and successfully passing the training quiz and is required on an annual basis.

Fit-testing: to determine which respirator/model size provides the proper fit for the user. Such fit-test is required on an annual basis. For the fit-tests, students must be clean shaven-no mustaches, beards or stubble since this will interfere with the respirator seal. Students who are not clean shaven will not be fit tested. For those students that request an exemption to the clean shaven guidelines, they will need to complete a waiver form and additional online training. Please contact the Office of Medical Education for additional details.

The Office of Medical Education will coordinate the process for scheduling students for their fit-testing with pre-clerkship students scheduled in Autumn Quarter and clerkship students scheduled during the beginning (Period 1) of the clerkship calendar. Students who do not successfully complete all steps of the fit test process may not be allowed to participate in clinical activities until this is completed.